Sildenafil is a cheap alternative to Viagra, containing the same active ingredient, Sildenafil citrate. Many men with ED choose Sildenafil due to its affordability. Experts recommend considering other medicines you take, as some may interact with the drug’s active substance. Today, in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the question arises of how coronavirus vaccines such as the Pfizer vaccine and Sildenafil interact.
Doctors prescribe Sildenafil not only for treating ED but also for treating pulmonary hypertension. The medicine belongs to the category of PDE-5 inhibitors and provides relaxation and expansion of blood vessels, improving blood flow. Given these specifics of the drug, some specialists consider the possibility of its use in the treatment of COVID-19, which can cause severe lung damage.
According to a study, adding Sildenafil to a COVID-19 treatment regimen reduced people’s hospital stay, meaning they recovered faster. Such results support the possible use of Sildenafil for treating a new type of coronavirus, but only under medical supervision.
Today there is a way, if not to protect yourself from the disease, then to avoid its severe course — it is vaccination. One of the most popular COVID-19 vaccines is the one developed by Pfizer in cooperation with BioNTech. According to statistics, it is the most frequently used vaccine in the world: over 800 million doses have been used in the EU and over 600 million in the USA.
Combining Sildenafil and the Pfizer vaccine
What do experts say about the possibility of combining it with Sildenafil, given the widespread prevalence of the vaccine?
Sildenafil is not among those medicines that can interact with the vaccine. It is due to different mechanisms of action: vaccination affects immunity, and Sildenafil inhibits the enzyme phosphodiesterase 5.
During vaccination, a small amount of the virus is introduced into the body to teach the immune system to recognise and destroy it. As a result, immunity to it develops, which allows you not to get sick in the future or to have the disease in a mild form.
In turn, Sildenafil does not affect the immune system and does not react with the vaccine. So, experts do not see a problem in using Sildenafil after vaccination. However, to prevent individual side effects, it is better not to take the drug on the day of immunisation and several days after.
Conclusion
Sildenafil does not fall into the category of drugs you cannot combine with any COIVID-19 vaccines since it does not directly affect the human immune system. At the same time, you should not exclude the individual characteristics of each man, so it is better not to take the drug directly on the day of vaccination. Otherwise, taking the medication after vaccination is not contraindicated.
